The Student Government Association, better known as SGA, exists on campus to hear your voice. You call; they’ll answer. SGA wants to give students a say at NW — whether it involves Caf food or dorm hours or the Red Raider Cup.
One of the ways SGA is working to achieve their goal this year is by adding a new commuter representative position as well as electing representatives from each dorm.
“We really wanted each dorm to have a voice in everything we talk about,” SGA Secretary Kellie Goedken said.
“Last year we had SGA members from each dorm,” SGA Senior Representative Anthony Wubben said. “With the suggestion from Julie Elliott, we decided to encourage this across-campus diversity by structuring SGA with both class and dorm representatives.”
The leaders of SGA recognize and are working to give a voice to the diversity of opinions and concerns around the NW campus.
“Dorm life is specific to each dorm students live in, and we want to capture the feelings and thoughts that go on in each dorm, so we’re not generalizing from a couple of dorms and thinking that represents everyone,” SGA President Erin Van Horn said. “We want to have a more thorough and wide perspective.”
In an effort to further expand the campus viewpoint, SGA decided to add a commuter representative position as well.
“The additional commuter representative position has the potential to bring a new perspective to SGA that may have been overlooked otherwise,” Wubben said.
Amber Beyer commutes to campus every day from an apartment on the edge of town.
“It is a bit different to be a commuter,” Beyer said. “Relationships on campus have to be a lot more intentional. It takes more work if you do want to be involved in something, because it takes a lot of extra time to be here. You can’t just run over from your dorm to go to a meeting.”
Because commuters aren’t as consistently immersed in the campus culture as students who live on campus, students who commute could add more of an outside viewpoint to SGA’s collection of perspectives.
“The main purpose would be the change in perspective,” Van Horn said. “Just to get a fuller view, different ideas. We want to have as many students and their backgrounds represented on this campus as much as possible.”
SGA seeks to help students express their opinions about various aspects of campus.
“If students have an idea of what they want to see on campus or suggestions of improvement, SGA is a good way to be heard,” Van Horn said.
With the help of Julie Elliott, SGA was able to facilitate a campus conversation about closed-dorm hours this past spring semester.
“That conversation was inspired by both SGA and Julie Elliott,” Van Horn said. “We heard a lot about it, and some things that students weren’t happy with.”
As a result of the cooperation between Elliott and SGA, the campus conversation led to the extension of dorm hours campus-wide.
However, dorm hours aren’t the only issue being brought to SGA’s attention.
“Over and over we hear about the eateries on campus,” Wubben said. “We talk to Ned about the cafeteria, or we send e-mails out to other people and work things out at our meetings.”
SGA works with events such as Professor of the Year, the Red Raider Cup and Campus Conversations.
It is also able to provide a student voice on faculty committees such as the Academic Affairs Committee in addition to the Strategic Planning Committee.
“There are always opportunities to be involved, whether or not you think you have time to be a fulltime member,” Van Horn said. “Don’t hesitate to tell us your ideas or suggestions. We want to know what the heartbeat of campus is, and we’re always open to more conversation.”
